The Blog of Northern Aggression

The Blog of Northern Aggression: NFL Power Rankings

By David Wipperman (a.k.a. Ragnarok) – @Wipperman

David Wipperman, also known as Ragnarok (or Rags) on the forum, has been in charge of setting up the Wednesday fantasy football mock drafts for a few years. Ragnarok had his own section in the fantasy mocks this summer where he broke down the best and worst teams. Ragnarok will be writing his own weekly column on this Web site. It will contain a different topic each week as well as some of his gut bets, which should be used for entertainment purposes only. You can follow Ragnarok @Wipperman or leave a comment below.

BoNA Power Rankings

32. Jacksonville Jaguars – The Jaguars have done nothing to suggest that they will be a competitive team at any point this season. Jacksonville needs help at every level on defense, a new running back, more offensive line talent and most importantly, a franchise quarterback. At least the new signal-caller will have a couple of decent receiving options.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – I haven’t had a very great season betting-wise, but the one team I can always count on is the Bucs. Despite spending an inordinate amount in free agency the past few years, Tampa Bay is playing well below its talent level due to terrible quarterback play and a head coach who has lost the locker room. The Buccaneers need a total overhaul in the front office, coaching staff and quarterback position.

30. Minnesota Vikings – It’s sad to see Adrian Peterson stuck in such a terrible situation. When an organization thinks Josh Freeman could be the answer, you know it is beyond desperate. There’s really no excuse for any quarterback to perform as poorly as all three have when they have Peterson, a solid offensive line and numerous receiving weapons.

29. Philadelphia Eagles – The trend of poor quarterback play creating poor teams continues with the Eagles. Michael Vick is constantly injured while neither Nick Foles nor Matt Barkley is the answer. Making this worse is a poor defense incapable of stopping all but the most struggling of offenses.

28. Buffalo Bills – The Bills are yet another team being dragged down by poor quarteback play. Their talented front seven is able to keep things close, but especially until E.J. Manuel comes back, I don’t see this team getting consistent quarterback play. And once he does return, he will have the typical rookie struggles.

27. Cleveland Browns – Poor Browns, at one point they looked like they had something at the quarterback position in Hoyer, but once he went down, they had no choice but to return to Weeden. Since then Cleveland has lost to three potential playoff teams. It is impressive how the Browns haven’t given up yet, but they simply won’t get the quarteback play to do much this year

26. Pittsburgh Steelers – The one saving grace this team has is a franchise quarterback. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh has suffered numerous injuries to an already poor offensive line the is limiting how effective he can be. The Steelers still have some talented pieces and a good looking running back in Bell, but their porous offensive line will likely be their downfall.

25. Houston Texans – It’s crazy to think how far Houston has fallen. With Schaub being benched for good and the team’s top-two running backs banged up, the Texans will have to rely on Keenum to turn their season around. Despite talented receiving targets, I don’t trust him to be able to carry this team.

24. Miami Dolphins – Miami has a very stout defensive line and a solid rushing attack, but Tannehill is having some sophomore struggles. The Dolphins’ offensive line in particular isn’t helping Tannehill stay upright. Despite some talent, this four-game skid drops them down the rankings.

23. New York Giants – I know I continue to have the Giants higher than most, but they are in a weak division and have an excellent head coach capable of keeping this team focused. Despite his struggles, Eli Manning and the Giants can always pull off one of their crazy runs and string a few wins together. However, like Pittsburgh, New York has some serious offensive line issues that may keep this from happening.

22. New York Jets – If not for the Jets’ fantastic front seven, this team would be much lower. New York’s secondary is struggling, but more importantly, Geno Smith has been wildly inconsistent. This is not uncommon for rookie quarterbacks, but he has managed some truly awful performances. This team will go as Geno Smith goes, so New York needs him to grow quicker than he has been.

21. Washington Redskins – The Redskins’ defense is still pathetic despite some signs of life from the pass rush, but luckily, Robert Griffin is slowly getting back into form. With Washington’s rushing attack coming along as well, this is an offense capable of scoring plenty of points. Due to being in the weakest division in the NFL, the Redskins could easily win it and earn a playoff spot.

20. Atlanta Falcons – Yet another team that everyone expected to be much higher, injuries to the offensive line and receiving corps has dragged this club down. Combined with this is a front seven in dire need of some fresh talent and a substandard rushing attack. Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez will do what they can, but they can’t do it by themselves.




19. St. Louis Rams St. Louis will hope that a very talented front seven and revitalized rushing attack can keep this team in contention after the loss of Sam Bradford. If Monday night is any indication, the Rams won’t quite be up to the task. While Zac Stacy looks like the real deal, Kellen Clemens simply isn’t talented enough to keep up in the tough NFC West.

18. Oakland Raiders – Terrelle Pryor is still a dynamic weapon despite needing to continue to improve his mechanics as a passer. The return of Jared Veldheer should help Pryor as he will have more time in the pocket to find his athletic outside weapons. Also, the Raiders’s defense is playing at a surprisingly high level compared to what most expected coming into the season.

17. Arizona Cardinals – Now that teams have to respect the run game with Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor providing a nice backfield tandem, Cardon Palmer has more time to find his weapons down the field. Along with an improved offense, the defense of the Cardinals has proven to be a very dangerous unit with play-makers at every level. If not for a tough division, Arizona could easily be a playoff team.

16. Chicago Bears – The losses of Jay Cutler, Henry Melton and Lance Briggs is a huge blow to this team, but Chicago has a number of weapons to support Josh McCown until Cutler returns. The issue is going to be the number of points this team will have to score to keep up with opposing offenses. The Bears will have to rely on a number of inexperienced players, especially in the linebacking corps, to try to stop opponents.

15. Baltimore Ravens – The defense hasn’t been awful, but Joe Flacco has been erratic as he has a limited number of legitimate weapons to throw to. More surprising is how much Ray Rice has struggled to generate any kind of production. If Rice can turn things around, this team can make a push during the second half of the season.

14. Tennessee Titans – Tennessee made a major mistake by bringing Jake Locker back before the bye. He didn’t look healthy by any means. If Locker is back to pre-injury form, this team could make a push for a wild card, especially if the Titans’ defense continues to play like it has.

13. Carolina Panthers – Cam Newton is playing great and the front seven of this defense is truly fantastic. In this power ranking, the Panthers are just edged out by the Lions for the last wild card. But if the run game continues as it has, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Carolina sneaks in as Detroit plays in a tougher division.




NFC

1. New Orleans Saints – Rob Ryan has the defense playing much better and Drew Brees is fantastic as always. The Saints should have little issue taking the division and getting a first-round bye in the playoffs.



2. Seattle Seahawks – Seattle has a fantastic defense, a strong running game and a quarterback who makes very few mistakes. However, the receiving corps and the offensive line have had some issues. With the return of Russell Okung and Percy Harvin, Seahawks hope to fix these problems going forward.



3. Green Bay Packers – Injuries have plagued this team and yet this team keeps winning. This is largely due to the new-found running game with Eddie Lacy. Once Ckay Matthews and the wide receivers come back, the Packers will be difficult to stop.



4. Dallas Cowboys – I have to put an NFC East in here I suppose, but after watching the Cowboys’ collapse late again, you have to wonder if they won’t find a way to give the division away. The issue is that I don’t know which team in that division won’t suck enough to take advantage.



5. San Francisco 49ers – Colin Kaepernick isn’t putting up gaudy numbers, but he hasn’t had to with the way the 49ers have beaten a few struggling opponents. Like the Packers, once Aldon Smith, Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham return, this already very good team will become even more dangerous.



6. Detroit Lions – Just edging out the Panthers, this Lions team is playing very well. A strong front seven, a much improved offensive line and Reggie Bush add to the dangerous combination of Matt Stafford and Megatron, who is playing as well as anyone in the NFL. If Kris Durham actually becomes a decent threat across from Calvin Johnson, this offense will be truly potent.

AFC

1. Denver Broncos – The bye comes at an excellent time for Denver as it allows Peyton Manning to heal. Despite struggling for much of the game against Washington, the Broncos proved too much in the end. The return on Von Miller can not be understated as he will make even more of an impact as he gets into form.



2. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck is playing as well as any signal-caller in the league, and Chuck Pagano has this defense playing excellently. The loss of Reggie Wayne is huge, but in a weaker division, I will have to see how much it affects Colts before I drop them.



3. Cincinnati Bengals – A very good offensive line, a dominating defense and a plethora of talented weapons surround Andy Dalton. And the past few weeks, he has been playing like much more than just a game-manager. While this team seems certain to win a weaker-than-expected division, the true question comes in the playoffs where Dalton has struggled.



4. New England Patriots – Losing Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo were terrible blows to this defense as others try to fill the voids. That coupled with the inconsistencies that can be expected from young wide receivers are making things difficult on Tom Brady. If Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola can get fully healthy, it will allow Brady to work the middle of the field, which should open things up on the outside.



5. Kansas City Chiefs – The Chiefs have the best defense in the NFL with top-tier talent at every level. Jamaal Charles is having yet another fantastic year, and Dexter McCluster is coming into his own as a slot receiver in Andy Reid’s offense. The major issue is Alex Smith’s inability to push the ball down the field to Dwayne Bowe to extend defenses.



6. San Diego Chargers – Who thought there would be three AFC West teams looking to make the playoffs? Philip Rivers is playing like the Rivers of old and Keenan Allen is becoming a very reliable target. The Chargers’ defense as a whole has been solid, but Corey Liuget and Kendall Reyes getting back to last year’s form would be a huge boost to this team.

The Blog of Northern Agression Menu:
NFL Power Rankings - 10/31
Surprises and Disappointments - 10/19
Hard Knocks - 10/10
Mock Draft - 10/4
NFL Power Rankings - 9/27
Football Team Bias - 9/11
Surprise Super Bowl Team - 9/6






NFL Picks - Dec. 13


2025 NFL Mock Draft - Dec. 11


NFL Power Rankings - Dec. 9


2026 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 29


Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4